ABSTRACT
Whenever the actors causing the environmental problems in the first place are located both within and outside a specific country, goal attainment becomes a matter of influencing both foreign and national target groups. The first explanatory perspective reflects this dual challenge. Domestic political and administrative institutions not only play a role in implementing domestic measures, but also help shape foreign policy directed towards international regimes. This chapter presents the analytical framework for studying variation in Norwegian goal attainment in different environmental issue areas. It primarily adopts an institutional approach that comprises three explanatory perspectives on goal attainment: domestic institutions, international core regimes, and linked regimes functionally linked to the core regime. Whereas domestic institutions, core regimes and linked regimes are important for both national and international goal attainment, the specific functions that need to be fulfilled internationally and domestically tend to differ as seen from the perspective of the individual state.
